April 01, 2014

Develop New Business: Forget Premium Branding

Recently I got two new clients and a few winbacks. How I did it was just by going after the sales like the hard-working writer I am who knows how to get a project done well and affordably. That was my unique selling point. I forgot all about trying to present myself as a premium brand.

That might be what more professional services firms, including solos, should do. Branding is sweet for those like Jones Day Law firm. It has the infrastructure and the sustained track record for clients to walk, talk and smell nice like a premium brand. Good for those kinds of organizations.

Somewhere at sometime we read the experts who told us that we too could walk, talk and smell nice like those elite players. We embraced the idea. Of course for most of us it didn't work. Hunger drove us back into the zone of common business sense.

Is branding dead? No. But it's not among the best cards in most of our decks.